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This is the second post in Michelle’s three part series on online versus brick and mortar retail in the fashion industry (part one is here).

Karen Kane has long been a popular label with YLF regulars, who appreciate the company’s sophisticated yet practical clothing options. Upscale department stores and independent boutiques have been featuring the line for more than 30 years, ensuring the company’s growth from a two-man operation to a successful international brand.

But the winds of change that are forcing retail giants to reevaluate their business practices have blown Karen Kane’s way, too, ushering in the dawn of a new, digital era. Karen Kkane will officially become an e-retailer on July 1 with the launch of its own online store.

Karen Kane’s foray into the modern-day jungle of retail ecommerce is still grounded in tradition – the family-run business will be led into the 21st century by Michael Kane, son of the eponymous chief designer and director of marketing at the company. Michael has recently worked with Greg and Angie on several different promotions, so I was able to talk to him about the company’s upcoming launch.

Michael had the task of building Karen Kane’s online presence from the ground up, with the ultimate goal of launching a retail website. The project forced Michael to ask some fundamental questions about the company he’d literally grown up with. Who are its target customers, and what do they need? Where do they go online, and what’s the best way to engage them when they get there? What assets does the company have that its fans may not know enough about?

He started small by establishing the company on the key social networks of the day. The Karen Kane fan page on Facebook, which didn’t exist a year ago, now has more than 6,500 fans. Twitter followers now number more than 300. He says his goal was to get existing Karen Kane customers engaged with the company’s new strategy, adding that established fans will be the initial target group of the new ecommerce approach.

“If you go to a department store website right now, a lot of customers will search for a dress then stumble upon a Karen Kane dress, then they’ll buy it. They’re not necessarily looking for a Karen Kane dress. With our site, it’s really about putting out a greater selection of product so our customers who are our fans can find things that may not be in the local store.”

The next step was to determine the most effective ways of connecting with the women who sport Karen Kane clothes. Michael launched a series of contests in an effort to determine what they liked best. He soon realized that tailoring would be as important to the company’s web strategy as it is to its products. Customers, for instance, lapped up photo and video content, but weren’t often willing to contribute visual material of their own. Contests asking customers to submit photos, for instance, were unmitigated flops.

“People don’t want to see photos of themselves online on a company website. I think it asks for too much engagement. People like content and they like receiving small bits of content, but they want something that requires less commitment.”

With customer desires established, the company is finally ready to launch its online retail site. KarenKane.com currently allows visitors to browse the existing collection, but the new site will offer much more when it launches on July 1.

Michael said customers shopping Karen Kane online will have a broader selection of colours and styles to choose from, with specialty sizes and collections also just a click away.

The website will free Karen Kane from industry constraints, he said, adding the offerings currently found in brick an mortar stores are usually dictated by regional sales trends or the whims of a given fashion season.

“It’ll be really nice, because we can put out the product that we want to put out, and not only what we’re being asked to put out by other stores. It will give us some freedom to see what connects with our customers.”

The site will also feature more input from what Michael identifies as the company’s major selling point – Karen herself. A blog and multimedia content will, he hopes, give Karen broader name recognition and help her connect with the customers she has so much in common with.

“She’s very approachable. She’s a mom, she’s raised two kids. There’s something to say for having her more visible because she kind of is what the brand’s about.”

Michael doesn’t expect a huge spike in revenue when the website first goes live, but says the company has major hopes for the boost the online business will give its bottom line over the next few years.

For now, the advertising strategy will continue to rely on word of mouth and social media, he says, adding the ecommerce division will be run with the same practices that have governed the more traditional operations.

“We don’t’ think that online will replace our traditional brick and mortar business, but we think it’s a great supplement. What we’re looking to do is taking what works in stores, and what we see working in other sites, then applying it directly to our customers.”

One thing Michael hasn’t chosen to explore just yet is the way mobile technology could fit into Karen Kane’s new cyberstrategy. Other retailers, however, see a lot riding on your cell phone use. Next week we’ll look into the future of retail and your phone.

What’s your take on Karen Kane’s web strategy? Do you plan to shop the website when it launches in July? What would you like to see when it goes live?

Family business: Michael Kane (far right) with father Lonnie, Karen and brother Robert.

Michelle McQuigge is a Toronto-based journalist working as a reporter and editor at The Canadian Press. You can follow her on Twitter.

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What an interesting glimpse into the thought process that goes into building a full web presence for a brand. The more I learn about Karen Kane, the more I just love the company – I hope the July 1 launch is a huge success. Thanks, Michelle, for another great story!

I’m a dedicated online shopper, and when I find a brand I like in a department store I’ll dig around online to see if I can find more styles from that brand. Or, hey, find it on sale, right? I think more brands should do this, they might be surprised that they have customers who look for their stuff specifically.

I’m excited to hear about this. I’ve seen a lot of Karen Kane merchandise on YLF but it’s not readily available in my area. We only have one store that carries a very limited selection of Karen Kane and of course, it’s never the items I’m interested in.
Once I find a brand I like, I’m pretty loyal. Brand specific websites make it easier for me to find their items.
And Michael, if you’re following this thread, I’d ask for one thing. Please, please, please, have specific sizing information on all garments: What measurements equate to what size, inseam length on pants and shorts, garment length on tops, skirts, and dresses. Because of my location I do a lot of online shopping and having this information really helps me order garments that I do not have to return because I have a much better idea if they will fit/look right.

I am *extremely* excited about Karen Kane’s online store. First, I can direct my clients there immediately because you know I believe in the brand. Most of my clients also like to shop online, so that’s a win.

Second, fashion buyers tell manufactures what they want in their stores, and they aren’t always right about the designs. Karen Kane will now have the opportunity to sell what *they* think their customers want – like a flattering length sleeve on tops and dresses!!! The retail industry has been sleeveless and cap-sleeve crazy for too long. Please give us a tapered three quarter length sleeve too. I am batting my eyelids here, Karen and Michael. The stuff will fly out of stores I’m telling you

Third, I see a GREAT missed opportunity in the retail world, and Michael touched on it when he mentioned supplying speciality sizes. Size 14 is average size in the US, yet its one of the least shopped sizes because of fit and style challenges. The regular size 14 is often to small, and the plus size 14 too big. Furthermore, most American women are petite in height. Get the size 14P to work and it’s a gold mine. Here is the opportunity to supply the demand by getting the dimensions right – and guess what, “ka-ching” on your website!!

Fourth, just look at Karen! What a beautiful role model for her brand (boys, you aren’t too shabby yourself ). And she’s a Mum. Get Karen onto the new site and watch the people flock your way.

Of course, I will shop the new online Karen Kane site in July even though I bat for Team Store and don’t do much online shopping. I’m excited to see the stuff that’s different to what I see in brick and mortar stores.

I have a question, will you also eventually be selling your other brands online, Michael? I hope so! I haven’t seen them sold in my neck of the woods and would love to give them a wardrobe bash.

I am very interested in this online venture for Karen Kane and will definitely shop it once it’s up. I recall buying Karen Kane in the 80′s at Nordstrom, I believe. There were not too many items available, but I really liked the separates I purchased. Thanks, Michelle, for this post.

Wow, Michelle, thank-you so much for a fabulous insight to the process of moving into online marketing. I always assumed the whole bundle would be handed over to an agency and pronto! There would be your website. Fabulous to see pics, too, and put a face to the brand.

I am a big fan of online expansion, particularly when it’s a brand like Karen Kane that does not have its own dedicated boutique. It’s very unlikely that a big department store like Macys or Nordstroms will carry the entire range (both style and size) of a brand, so it’s nice to have a place with a wide selection. It’s also easier to keep an eye on pricing and availability online.

There are a few things that I look for on an online clothing website… First, provide good descriptions with numerical measurements. I cannot stress how important this is. I prefer to see an item on a model rather than flat or on a mannequin, preferably from multiple angles. If possible, I like it when specific measurements are given for each size of a particular garment rather than a generic size chart. I know this is more work and effort up front for the retailer but my hunch is that it greatly reduces the numbers of returns, plus I am more likely to buy something if there is a good chance it will fit me based on my measurements. Speaking of returns, an easy and fair return process is very important to me as well. I don’t mind having to pay a reasonable amount for returns, but I want to be able to use a prepaid label and drop off the box without standing in line to pay for return shipping, etc, and I want my money back as a refund rather than store credit. The last thing I look for is good inventory management – it drives me nuts when I order something and then get told later it’s not in stock even though the website said it was.

Well there you go! Diana has outlined an effective online store strategy for Karen Kane. All *very* good points. Not easy to achieve, but certainly great online store goals. (Zappos sets a brilliant example).

I believe that you will be shipping to Canada. Fabulous! How about the rest of the world?

I too prefer to see clothing on a model as opposed to on a mannequin or hanger.

I’ve been wearing the KK brand since I was in college, which would be . . . oh, over 22 years (yikes!). I’ll definitely check out the new site when it launches. As others have said, detailed information on fit and measurements, pictures from all sides (video in addition to pictures is also great), realistic shipping charges and easy returns are crucial.

Now that I’m a mom as well, I find myself identifying even more with Karen herself. I would LOVE to see more of her on the website!

Wow! I just got into work and I’m thrilled to see so many people commenting on this thread. I actually have a call set this morning to review progress with our site re-design, so all of these comments will definitely be brought up as we discuss what features we want to be sure to have when the site launches July 1. Thank you all for your thoughtful insights – they are very helpful!

Refugee – having the correct sizing information listed on our site is VERY important to us. As a frequent online shopper, I get very frustrated when I can’t find information on the appropriate size for my measurements. We’re currently working on a fit chart with measurements so that customers can pick their size correctly. Since we’ll be offering both our traditional sizes in addition to our plus size collection, it’s very important to us that customers have the tools they’ll need to be able to pick out their correct size. Additionally, as we’ll be shipping internationally, we also need to have the conversions for international sizing. It’s a lot to organize, but thanks for pointing this out – it’s been a big concern of ours and will definitely be addressed when the site launches!

Angie – Wonderful points! One of the things we’re most excited about is the ability to make products we have a bit more control over. Nearly every season, we produce samples of items that actually never make it into stores because they aren’t in line with what some of our stores think will sell. We’re excited about having an online channel to sell products, because we can now take those items that would have never made it to the customer and be able to sell it directly. So that means more new & different Karen Kane products hitting the marketplace than ever before! In terms of our other brands, Fifteen-Twenty and Red 23, we do have online goals for them as well. Fifteen-Twenty will have a site launching in late summer (around August/September), but will not have e-commerce capabilities immediately (although that’s the eventual goal). Red 23′s site will launch sometime next year, but initially we plan to grow that label through social media before opening a website. In the meantime, Lonny’s (http://lonnys.com/shop/web/m-5.....wenty.aspx) and Meringue Boutique (http://meringueboutique.com/fifteen-twenty/?cat=) carry a lot of Fifteen-Twenty online and are great places to find the brand. Red 23 isn’t available until fall – so there’s a little bit of waiting on that one but as soon as it’s up, I’ll let you all know!

Lynne – Yes! Totally agree – making some of our pieces that are harder to find more accessible to people online is a huge goal of ours and something we’re very excited about!

Katie – We just finalized the international shipping policy…so yes, you’ll be able to have Karen Kane in Canada now! And all over the world for that matter!

Diana – are you sure you don’t want to join the team here in building our site?! You hit everything right on the head! We intend to shoot all of our products on models since we agree that it helps show the items better and gives an idea as to how it will look when it’s actually worn. Sizing is super important info to offer to reduce returns – so we’re definitely including that. However, we will make it very easy to offer returns to customers if they decide they want to send something back. And in terms of inventory management, we’ll be watching it hour-by-hour to make sure customers don’t get frustrated by items that we don’t have in stock! We’ve discussed the possibility of adding a “waiting list” to products that have run out so you can get an email as soon as it’s back in stock – would that be something you’d utilize? I’m interested to see if people would be interested in a feature like that.

Thanks all for your great feedback! Looking forward to making this site as YLF-friendly as possible with all of your suggestions!!

I love the idea of giving you feedback to help setup an online store for Karen Kane.

I live near a busy metro area but have three kids and a business to manage so I love love love online shopping.

it gives me the flexibility to shop in the middle of the night.

A feature that I don’t see often enough with online retailers is the ability to narrow down the merchandise by size.

Its great that you have this beautiful dress but you don’t have it in my size and I don’t have the time to scroll through the whole website to find what will actual fit me.

Plus, I love it when I can scroll the options by fit. I don’t wear short skirts but if I need to buy a skirt often, I have to go through many options before I can find a skirt by the fit and length that I need.

I hope that these comments are useful and look forward to shopping the site when it is up and running.

I have bought a number of Karen Kane dresses from Nordstroms over the years, and have counted them amoung my favorites so I look forward to seeing the online store as well. I do the majority of my shopping on line (busy mom…no time for stores) and the clincher is always what Diana mentioned… an easy and low cost shpping and return policy ala zappos. I am more willing to take a risk and try something new if I know I’m not going to pay for shipping and a return, if possible. Since my body is a fairly typical size, I don’t usually have trouble with fitting and I rarely return what I buy online so the free return strategy pays off for the retailer as well.

I do like online shopping, and I was an early adopter of it, but based on my experiences I now limit myself to places where I can get free shipping and free returns.

I am OK with the shipping only being free if you spend a certain amount. I am OK with free returns to a brick and mortar store, if the stores are relatively plentiful (i.e. Nordstrom or Talbots.) I am very occasionally OK with a prepaid return slip and a dedction of around $6 from my return.

But those are my parameters. If it’s more difficult than that I won’t do it.

Asma – We are definitely going to have the ability to search by size so that you can narrow down the inventory on the site to only the sizes that will fit you — I agree, it’s a great way to shop and makes browsing so much easier. As for the product fit search, I’ve never thought of doing that, but it’s an interesting idea and I’m going to bring it up as a potential feature we might want to add – thanks for the great advice!

Jane – Low cost shipping & returns are very important to us, so I totally agree with you. I have bought from Zappos.com and they are a total joy to work with for the reasons you bring up (on a side note – Karen Kane has a storefront on Zappos in case you are interested in shopping for our stuff on their site – http://www.zappos.com/karen-kane). We’ve also thought about new & exciting promotions to offer customers who support us & interact with us online. We’re thinking of giving out promo codes on our Facebook & Twitter pages for free shipping, flash deals, and other offers like that. We love the idea of giving our biggest fans a thank you for their support by offering exclusive deals that won’t be advertised anywhere but our social media pages. Thanks for your input & advice on the site – will definitely note it when we continue to build it over the next month and a half!

I’m absolutely going to visit the online store as soon as it’s up and running. Thank you for this insightful interview, Michelle and thank you to the entire Kane family for this sneak peek behind the scenes.

I would be super pleased if items would be available worldwide with reasonable shipping costs and the option to exchange (not only return items) internationally as well.

And like many others, I too prefer it when clothes are shown on real people instead of mannequins, with good shots of all angles, a few close-ups and ideally a short video in which we can see the clothes in motion.

Thank you Michelle for this wonderful article. This is a very interesting subject for me because like so many of us here at YLF, I love the Karen Kane dresses.

The Kane family photo is beautiful. I think of the Karen Kane dress in all of it’s soft, flowing, girly glory, but I had never connected the Karen Kane brand with a jeans wearing wife and mother of 2 young men, strolling with her family on a rugged beach. This may not seem surprising in it’s self but what this picture tells me is there’s a lot to Karen Kane style for me to look forward to when this site opens July 1st. I love the K.K. dresses, but I also love the look of a jeans and shirt wearing, neck scarf donning, cool woman who has a full life, and looks loving and happy while being comfortable living it.

Great article Michelle. Thank you for introducing us to the Kane family and their future in online business. As a consumer, I want to know.

I hope the online site contains a section for each item with a model on a catwalk or some other format with the item moving. I find little vidoes of an item in motion are very helpful when I decide what to buy. Photos of items not on a body, do not help me see how an item drapes and I tend to shy away from those purchases.

I’m so excited for this! I live in a small city and don’t have a lot of the big department stores, so I am team online shopping. I am still loving the Karen Kane pieces that I was given and have been saving for some of the cute dresses in the summer collection.

I agree with the points the other ladies have brought up, but I would like to add a request for a review section. I often rely on reviews of people who have already tried the item to determine if it is true to size or flattering for my body type.

Thanks for sharing the family photo and good luck on your family’s new adventure

The importance of a review section is interesting. Personally, I do not take notice of reviews about clothing and accessories – they might as well not be there. I often find the generalizations unhelpful because there are far too many variables at play – and I refuse to be swayed in either direction. I go with my gut and that’s that. But I *do* read footwear reviews, and half the time find them helpful. Isn’t that oddly incongruous.

Fab article, Michelle. And very exciting to offer feedback and ideas to a mainstream label that is in production mode for its website.
I am a regular online shopper and am very loyal to certain sites because of their ease of use and great customer service (zappos and shopbop.com, chiefly).

Thee key things I look for and love in an online site:
1.) An easy one: assuming you’ll be using live models, state what size the model is in. This has helped me enormously with clothing size selection in terms of seeing how an item fits.

2.) Search functionality: this is more important with sites that carry a wide range of brands and items, but, down the road, you may want to consider offering “capsule” or targeted searches, particularly as inventory ramps up, so that someone could click on and search for, as an example, a knee length cocktail dress with sleeves. A similar idea is the capsule searching that some sites offer, such as “9 to 5″ or “weekend wear” or items that straddle the work/social event gap.

3.) Customer accounts: I love sites that store all my info (including capacity to store multiple shipping addresses) so that check out is fast and easy. Having to dredge out my c.c. # every time or re-enter a shipping address is definitely the type of thing that will prevent me from pulling the trigger on buying a shopping cart full of items online. Of course, security has to be robust to pull this off, but it’s a big time saver for the shopper!

Customer service, generally, is also a huge selling point for me in the online arena. Knowing that I can call and get a person or send an email and get a response within an hour is huge. Makes me feel like I have a personal relationship with the store, rather than being just an anonymous buyer. Personal touches do matter in the online sphere too!

Michelle, thank you for this wonderfully written entry introducing us to the Kane family! I really think on-line shopping is the future…so many busy working women and more and more older women who can’t physically take all the walking that actual shopping involves.
Karen Kane has been a wardrobe favorite of mine for years. Stores in this area tend to carry more of the tops than anything else. There are always some especially beautiful prints that call to me. I’m looking forward to the Karen Kane online store.
Diana expressed so well features that I would look for. The waiting list seems like a good idea. I also like consumer reviews and a phone number or email address where one can ask any additional questions. On the Zappos site, I couldn’t find a size chart for Karen Kane but am sure it must be there somewhere.

Wow! This feedback is amazing! I’m collecting these comments and taking notes…

Inge – we will be shipping worldwide and the cost won’t be too high to ship, so international customers will now be able to shop for our products the same as our US-customers can!

San – Thank you for your lovely comments! I read it to my mom and you made her day!

Laura – Glad to hear you’re still loving the products you picked out after our giveaway in February! You were one of the catalysts in our decision to move to an online store — a greater ease to connect with customers in areas of the country who may not have access to us yet. I’m so excited we’ll be able to meet customers like you who we may not have been introduced to before! The reviews are an interesting feature – I don’t personally use them but I know friends who do. Definitely something great to consider.

Auburn – Agree with you on all your points, but your message about customer accounts rings loud and clear to me. I love it when I can see my purchase history and not have to fill in shipping/billing info when I place repeat orders. We’re planning to have full customer log-in/profile functionality – with very strong privacy/security of course – and we’re excited to be able to send special deals to customers based on loyalty by seeing who’s coming back and repeat shopping!

I would love to be able to try some of these wonderful products but am in the UK (and I’m assuming they’re not available here). Sadly I probably wouldn’t buy from the US because of the import taxes I would be charged and because of shipping costs, but it’s lovely to read about what you’re doing.

Michelle what a great article.
I’m so excited that this is happening. I love Karen Kane and often I’m disappointed because I cannot find a piece that I’ve seen in my size at my local stores.
An online store will give me the opportunity to check out the whole line.

Oh, how exciting! I agree about having customer accounts, clear sizing information and sorting by size. I also love the option of having a notification when an item has been restocked in my size as Zappos does.

I do most of my clothes shopping on line, as I live in a town with a population of 250. Everyone has already hit upon the critical points like sizing details, a review section, returns. (I don’t mind paying for shipping but I do like a free return.) What I would like to mention is pricing.

So often I see items priced higher in the company’s website than at places like Amazon or other e-tailers. An example is Three Dots. I can get their products for less elsewhere. So I’ve yet to purchase from Three Dots directly, while I own, what — maybe 40 of their tops? All of them purchased elsewhere, like Naturals or Bare Necessities or Nordstrom. Being competitive in this area will matter. It’s like they are afraid to offend retailers with hotter pricing or they are just snoozing. It is extremely easy to comparison shop on the internet, so you can see why this is important.

What fun to read all your feedback on the article and suggestions for the new Karen Kane Online! We don’t ask much, do we?
Michael: Count me among the ranks of very excited potential customers! I’ve never owned KK items before, but the recommendations from this site and beyond are more than enough to peak my interest and ensure that I’ll give the brand a go. Selection is limited for plus-sizers, even more so if they live in Canada (which is perpetually struggling to catch up with our American retail cousins). Any sites that expand our options get this curvy Canuck very excited indeed!
The ladies have all covered site requests. I would like to add one more — make sure the site is accessible for the visually impaired by not relying too heavily on flash. Your current site, for instance, isn’t terribly blind-guy friendly. Pages that are easier to navigate, and which contain detailed descriptions of the garments, will go down very well with blind shoppers who enjoy the liberty and lack of dependence inherent in online shopping, but who don’t have the advantage of being able to touch the clothes and develop a mental picture through tactile means. Sorry for this rather oddball request! Not a great way to repay you for the fabulous interview you gave me. Thanks, too, for paying such close attention to customer feedback, both on this site and on your social networks — if that won’t ensure brand loyalty, I don’t know what will!

Fabulous post, very very interesting. I enjoyed it both from the perspective of a consumer (I happen to be wearing a Karen Kane dress today!) and from a professional perspective, as I am currently dipping my toes into retail marketing at our consulting firm. So it’s really interesting to read about Kane’s approach. One of the most relevant pieces in their approach, to me, is that it’s really all about the customer – and the specific Karen Kane customer. When Michael talks about the photo submission experiment being a flop, and he says:

“People don’t want to see photos of themselves online on a company website. I think it asks for too much engagement.”

then I’m sure he is right in terms of speaking about the Karen Kane customer. I don’t think this is universally true, though – retailers like H&M have experimented with strategies that involve high personal engagement by customers and they have been successful. And I think the reason is that it’s a totally different demographic: Karen Kane customers are older than H&M customers (on average) and less tech-centric.

Anyway, totally going off on a tangent here, but this just hit home with me, and I think that Karen Kane will be successful with their online strategy because they understand that you have to start with what your customer wants and needs and what their lifestyle is like. And I wish them good luck!!!

Regarding the question of whether I’d shop their online site, the answer is really I don’t know. I love ordering online when I know that returns are easy and free or cheap. Given there isn’t a Karen Kane store where I can return items (I assume I won’t be able to bring them to a Karen Kane dept at Nordies), this could be a deterrent for me. Free shipping both ways is a biggie, which is why I’m a very loyal Zappos customer, but the trouble of returns combined with shipping fees might put me off. So it depens a bit on how they execute on these logistics. But I sure will be browsing!

Thanks for your insight, Antje. You bring up a lot of interesting and very valid points. When I talk about engagement, you’re right. Michelle and I were talking about different promotions we’ve tried and which have worked and which haven’t and I noted that I ran two separate promotions on our Facebook page one week apart from each other…and one had around 800 entries and the other had 0. I publicized them exactly the same, started them at the same time on a Monday morning, but yielded totally different responses. The only difference? In the first promotion, I only required people enter their name, a quick sentence about what they liked about our clothing, and their store of preference to receive a giftcard. In the second, I asked them to submit photos of them or their mother/daughter wearing Karen Kane items as a tie-in for Mother’s Day. Obviously, the second promotion required a great deal more participation from entrants. While I think our customers may not be interested in participating to *that* extent, I do think we have very engaged customers who love to participate in other ways. I check through our Facebook page each day to see who’s commenting and leaving suggestions and I often see the same names pop up. This clearly tells me that we do have people that are excited to get more engaged with our brand, but we just need to know the limit of what that particular engagement may be. There’s no true exact science to any of this, but there are definitely lessons that can be learned!